Paul Bettany Is Joining the Han Solo Star Wars Spin-off

Ron Howard continues his spree of juicy behind-the-scenes social-media posts with a bit of casting news about the unnamed young Han Solo movie he’s working on: Paul Bettany is jumping aboard the Millennium Falcon (or at least a film heavily featuring that spaceship). “The Outer Rim just got a little bit wilder,” Howard tweeted, adding a picture of himself with Bettany. He continued in a second post, “It’s my third opportunity to work with Paul. He’s a blast & so talented.”

Bettany previously worked with Howard in both A Beautiful Mind and The Da VinciCode. While a few fan sites have suggested that Bettany might be taking over the role Michael K. Williams lost due to scheduling conflicts, Deadline is reporting rumors that it’s an entirely different character. Williams’s part, which was once described as “key,” was cut after Howard took over directing duties because Williams was unavailable for reshoots. Williams took a role in another project shortly after wrapping with Howard’s fired predecessors Chris Miller and Phil Lord.

Deadline also claims that Bettany will play a “real person” in the movie, which is a shame since he’s proven himself to be a pretty good android in Avengers: Age of Ultron and every good Star Wars movie needs a star droid.